Big Bang for Beginners

Reading:
Narration:
According to the scientific community, all the matter in the universe, as we know it today, began in a very tiny, hot and dense point, approximatively 15-20 billion years ago. At the moment of the big bang, the point began expanding like a balloon, versus the long-held misconception of an actual explosion.

Vocabulary:
Universe-All matter and energy, including the earth, the galaxies, and the contents of intergalactic space, regarded as a whole.
Matter- Something that occupies space and can be perceived by one or more senses; a physical body, a physical substance, or the universe as a whole.
Expand-To increase the size, volume, quantity, or scope of; enlarge, to spread out.
Space- The expanse in which all matter exists
Dense-Crowded closely together


Example:

The general analogy for this is having a series of paperclips on a rubber band. As the rubber band is stretched, the paperclips appear to move away from one another even though they are in fact holding still with regard to the rubber band. Similarly, galaxies hold still more or less (there are small movements due to gravitational interactions) while they are carried by the expanding universe. 

Experiment:

Experiment with expansion by blowing up balloons, use markers to draw stars on the balloon.
Experiment with density 
     Steps:

1.  Fill on third of the cup with honey.
2.  Fill the next third with oil.
3.  Fill the last third with water.
4.  Wait for all three substances to settle.
5.  Carefully drop in the coin, then the grape and then the cork.

Explain:

Each of the three liquids have different densities or each is made of tiny bits of matter that are closer or farther apart, therefore making three separate layers.  All three items (grape, coin and cork) have different densities and therefore float in separate layers according to their density.  The most dense goes to the bottom and the least dense goes to the top.